Upopu Nesityhilelo
AVERTING ARMAGEDDON lowo ngumxholo abacholacholi beendaba ababini abawunika incwadi yabo yowe-1984 engeepolitiki zakutshanje zikapopu. UGordon Thomas noMax Morgan-Witts bebebhala iingxelo ezingopopu iminyaka eli-17. Kukuphi ukuqonda esinokukuzuza kubo ngokubhekisele ekuxhalatyelweni kweziganeko zesityhilelo ngabakwizikhundla eziphakamileyo beCawa yamaKatolika?
Ngokutsho kwaba bacholacholi beendaba, uMonsignor Emery Kabongo, ongunobhala wobuqu kaJohn Paul II, wathi: “UPopu ufana nesigantsontso sokomoya esizama ukugcina amagunya amakhulu ahlukene, esizama ukuthintela iArmagedon yenyukliya.”
Kubonakala ukuba iinkokeli zeCawa zixhalabele ngokukhethekileyo ukutshatyalaliswa kwehlabathi ngesenzo sabantu kunokuba zixhalabele ukungenelela kukaThixo okukhethayo kwimicimbl yabantu—imbubhiso iBhayibhile eyixela kwangaphambili. Ngaloo ndlela, iAverting Armageddon ithi: “Phakathi kwabo basebenza noKabongo, akukho mqondiso wangaphandle wokuxinezeleka ekuzameni ukuthintela iziganeko zesityhilelo abazibonayo. . . . Kodwa ngemva kwale migudu kukho ukuxinezeleka okungumphumo ongqalileyo weNgqungquthela yooBhishophu bezizwe ngezizwe. Le ntlanganiso yaphela ngamazwi anganiki themba, kukhalelwa ‘ukuba neengcwangu zemfazwe, ugonyamelo nobugrogrisi, ukwakhiwa kwamaziko ezixhobo eziqhelekileyo yaye ngokukhethekileyo ezenyukliya nokuthengiswa okothusayo kwazo zonke izixhobo zemfazwe.’” Kwanopopu ubandakanyekile. UThomas noMorgan-Witts bachaza ukuba kumathala eencwadi egumbi lakhe lokufundela kukho ezinemixholo ethi International Defense Review, The Problems of Military Readiness, nethi Surprise Attack: Lessons For Defense Planning. Bathi:
“Kufuphi neeleta zepopu kukho iincwadi ezixubusha ngemibandela ngoku etsal’ ingqalelo kaPopu: iziganeko zokugqibela, ufundisiso Iweemfundiso zeBhayibhile ezivelisa ingcamango yokuba uThixo uya kumisela emhlabeni uBukumkani Bakhe ngongcelele ‘lweziganeko’ zokuqoshelisa isizukulwana. UJohn Paul ukholelwa ngenzondelelo . . . kwelokuba, mhlawumbi ngaphambi kwesiphelo senkulungwane, nto ithile ‘engathandabuzekiyo’ isenokutshayela ihlabathi. Ngaba inokuba yindyikitya yokufa, isifo esikuKufa Okumnyama esifika okwesibini? Okanye yimbalela okanye yindlala ngomlinganiselo ongenakuthelekelelwa? Okanye ngaba yimfazwe yenyukliya? Ngokufuthi ngoku woyikela le ichazwe mva; mhlawumbi, ibe waziwa ecinga ngoku, ukuba uye wanikwa indima yokuba yintloko yeCawa ebudeni boko kunokuba lishumi leminyaka lokugqibela lehlabathi ngaphambi kokuba iCawa itshayelwe ngokusisigxina yimbubhiso yenyukliya.”
IAverting Armageddon kwakhona itsalela ingqalelo “kwiwotshi yemini yomgwebo” yokomfuziselo esoloko ibalaseliswa kwiBulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Xa le “wotshi” yaqala ukupapashwa ngoDisemba 1947, ixesha layo lalisithi yimizuzu esixhenxe ngaphambi kweenzulu zobusuku ukubonisa “indlela ihlabathi elisondele ngayo kwiArmagedon yenyukliya.” Emva kwesivumelwano sokuncitshiswa kwezixhobo sowe-1972 (SALT), iintsiba zale wotshi zabuyiswa umva zabonisa imizuzu eli-12 ngaphambi kweenzulu zobusuku. Ngowe-1984 uThomas noMorgan-Witts babhala bathi: “Ngoku le wotshi ithi yimizuzu emithathu ngaphambi kweenzulu zobusuku. Akuzange kwasondelwa kangaka kwimini yembubhiso kangangeminyaka engamashumi amathathu.”
Phezu kwayo nayiphi na imigudu kapopu “yokuthintela iArmagedon yenyukliya,” ngoNovemba 1985, iintsiba zewotshi zazisabonisa imizuzu emithathu kuphela esaseleyo. Noko ke, masingatyekiswa kukuxhalabela into yokuba iintlanga ziya kulutshabalalisa kusini na uluntu. Kunokuzama ukuphepha iziganeko zesityhilelo, siya kulumka sifune indlela kaThixo yokusindiswa kwimbubhiso, kuba oku kuqinisekile ‘ukuza phezu kwelimiweyo liphela.’—ISityhilelo 3:10.